Overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Round-Up

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Introduction

When the GeForce GTX 580 arrived, it extended NVIDIA's lead in the single-GPU graphics card market. Although the green team's own GTX 480 previously held the title of fastest single-GPU, its reign was temporary as the first generation Fermi card required some tweaks in order to unleash all 512 shader cores, reduce heat output and power consumption, and minimize noise levels. With these issues addressed in the GTX 580, NVIDIA continues to be a leader in single-GPU graphics performance. AMD's Radeon HD 6970 was initially targeted to take on the GTX 580 in the high end market, but it's obvious now that those expectations were unrealistic. Rather, it's more competitive with the GTX 570 and the dual-GPU powered Antilles (Radeon HD 6990) is AMD's real heavyweight contender.

Today we're looking at a handful of graphics cards made specifically for enthusiasts that accept no compromise. These factory overclocked GeForce GTX 580 cards from Gigabyte, MSI, and ZOTAC represent the most powerful single GPU boards you can buy. Without a doubt, you'll be able to crank up the eye candy with one of these monsters in your rig. Read on to find out how well they perform and which of them have what it takes to be your next upgrade.

Overclocked NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Round-up

Let's Get It On!

Gigabyte GV-N580UD-15I

795 MHz Core / 1002 MHz Memory

$504*

MSI N580GTX M2D15D5/OC

823 MHz Core / 1069 MHz Memory

$509*

ZOTAC Amp! ZT-50102-10P

815 MHz Core / 1025 MHz Memory

$549*

* Current street pricing

Each manufacturer has taken the original recipe for the GTX 580 from NVIDIA and spiced it up in order to provide additional performance and features. And when compared to reference design models which clock in at 772MHz core and 1002MHz memory, the trio of cards you see above sport overclocks that will undoubtedly translate into additional frame rates. How much of a boost can you expect to see? That's what we're here to find out. But before we get to the benchmark numbers, let's take a closer look at each individual card to see what makes them stand out.